W. B. Yeats - The Scholars 汉译

BALD heads forgetful of their sins,

Old, learned, respectable bald heads
Edit and annotate the lines
That young men, tossing on their beds,
Rhymed out in love’s despair
To flatter beauty’s ignorant ear.

All shuffle there; all cough in ink;
All wear the carpet with their shoes;
All know the man their neighbour knows.
Lord, what would they say
Did their Catullus walk what way?

1915

学者

秃脑袋瓜忘却了自己的罪孽，
博学可敬的老脑瓜，秃又光，
编辑呀，注释呀青年人诗集，
他们夜不寐，爱中绝望，
写下来好把诗句吟唱，
去奉承美人无知的耳囊。

全都蹒跚走，对墨水咳嗽，
全都用鞋子把地毯磨损；
全都想着别人的念头，
全都认得邻居的熟人。
老天爷，他们有什么好讲，
难道伽图走路也这样？

1915